Eating from your garden

We made a conscious effort last summer to grow our own veggies but, like many gardeners, by the end of the summer we found ourselves drowning in lettuce early on, then had tomatoes and kale coming out our ears for the remainder of the summer, yet spent the following winter popping to the markets and food stores to buy produce, frozen veggies, and canned goods.

Planning a garden to feed your family can seem overwhelming, so we reviewed a few books to help you out. With careful planning, you can use your garden energy to reduce your grocery bill and eat more fresh delicious vegetables.

Homegrown is the ultimate guide to growing your own food and eating it, too! With clear and uncomplicated illustrations, author Heather Hardison guides readers through the process of planting, growing, harvesting, and preparing more than 25 of the tastiest, easy-to-grow vegetables and small fruits—such as spinach, kale, artichokes, and pears—and cooking them into seasonal, clean, and delicious offerings—including Fava Bean Crostini, Tomato and Watermelon Gazpacho, and Parsnip Hummus.

Growing up in an Italian family, for Fabian Capomollo, Sunday lunch would always consist of loud arguments, pasta and veggies from the garden. Starting off in advertising before taking the leap to fulfil his dream of helping people grow food, Fabian now has his own completely edible backyard in Melbourne, with his wife and kids. All Mat Pember’s childhood memories revolve around his Nonna and Nonno’s backyard near Fremantle, WA. The veggie garden, the enormous garage, where the pork and fennel sausage would hang drying from the ceiling beams, and checking the chook shed for eggs. Mat worked in landscaping before moving exclusively into edible gardening.

Fab and Mat install edible gardens: in boxes on balconies, in crates you can put anywhere in your backyard, or by creating no-dig garden beds. After years of helping clients grow fruit and vegetables they believe anyone can create their own little edible garden, in most any area in Australia. In this easy-to-use guide they show you how simple it is!

As the brains behind The Little Veggie Patch Co., Fab and Mat have taken the mystery out of – and put the fun back into – growing fruit and vegetables. 1-Minute Gardener features 70 fast, illustrated step-by-step guides to edible gardening essentials, from preparing and caring for your patch through to harvesting the rewards (and getting the kids involved along the way).

Don’t forget, plant what you enjoy eating. We know this seems like a no-brainer, but when you’re selecting seed packets and see the delicious and specialised variety of veggies, it’s very easy to get carried away!